New Education Policy aims at giving priority to boost innovation: Union Minister

News Network

November 24, 2020

Mangaluru, Nov 24: Union Minister for Education Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Tuesday said that National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was an Indian-centric policy that aimed to give priority to knowledge, research, science and technology and innovation. Delivering the 18th Convocation of NITK-Surathkal virtually, he said that it was an inclusive policy that would help in nation-building. Advocating mother tongue and regional languages was aimed at strengthening Indian languages.

“People who argue that if we do not learn English we cannot progress at the international level, need to look at countries like Japan, Germany, France, who all provide education in their languages,” he stressed.

The NEP 2020 will help India to regain the title of ‘Vishwa Guru’ and help in reviving the glory of ancient Takshashila and Nalanda Universities in spreading knowledge, science and ancient traditions among students. India which was lacking in research and innovation in the past will get a boost through setting up of National Research Foundation, he and urged the graduating students to face challenges in life and contribute to the country’s progress.'give 'guru dakshina’ to teachers by serving the nation.Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Secretary, Department of Defence (R and D) and Chairman of DRDO said for the success of Atmanirbhar Bharat, India needs to concentrate on advanced technology and futuristic technologies.

“We should become technology leaders rather than technology followers and become self-reliant in advanced technology ahead of the world.”

He urged institutes to concentrate on basic and applied research. During the initial days of Covid-19 pandemic, the country was not manufacturing ventilators and PPE kits. Within four months, India with advanced technology could have its ventilators and PPE kits. DRDO had investedRs 1,000 crore in institutions to research futuristic technologies, he added.

NITK Director Prof Umamaheshwar Rao said that under DRDO-Academia Programme, 10 research scholars will work in DRDO labs on live problems of interest to DRDO.

Four faculty members from the NITK have found a place in top 2 per cent of researchers in the world as per a survey carried out by a team of scientists from Stanford, five patents have been awarded to our faculty members in 2020.Degrees were awarded to 1,549 students of BTech, MTech, MTech (Research), MCA, MBA, MSc and PhD programme who graduated during the academic year 2019-20. Thirty-eight students were awarded Endowment Gold Medals.

The Minister also laid the foundation for a foot-over-bridge to connect the campus of NITK on either side of National Highway.

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RuTAGe smart village centres in DK, Udupi to being technology closer to rural communities

News Network

January 20,2026

Mangaluru: In a major step towards strengthening rural innovation, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India is supporting the establishment of RuTAGe Smart Village Centres (RSVCs) across the country through collaborations with academic institutions, civil society organisations and philanthropic partners.

As part of this national initiative, Nitte (Deemed to be University) will set up the first RSVCs in the region at Nitte GP in Udupi district and at the Nitte Health Centre, Sevanjali Trust, Farangipete, in Dakshina Kannada district. The centres will be inaugurated on January 21. In South India, the programme is being implemented by the Section Infin-8 Foundation (SI-8).

Speaking to reporters on Monday, SI-8 founder-director Vishwas US said experts from Nitte University and SI-8 would work closely with farmers, students, youth and local entrepreneurs to adapt and deploy technologies tailored to local needs.

Project head Prof Iddya Karunasagar, representing Nitte DU, said the RSVCs at Nitte and Farangipete would serve as demonstration hubs for a wide range of agriculture, energy, skill-development and assistive technologies. These include solar dryers for fruits, vegetables and crops; soil-testing solutions; power weeders and women-friendly farm tools; wind-powered devices for rural artisans; grain storage systems; grass-cutting and tree-climbing equipment; and liquid fertiliser production using cowshed waste.

SI-8 CEO Aravind C Kumar said the centres would also provide access to digital and knowledge-based platforms such as ISRO applications, government scheme portals, market linkage tools and gamified learning resources, along with assistive technologies for persons with visual impairments.

Highlighting the broader impact of the initiative, Principal Scientific Adviser Prof Ajay Kumar Sood said it demonstrated how applied research could bridge the rural–urban divide and help create self-reliant, technology-enabled villages.

The initiative has been made possible through philanthropic support from Dr NC Murthy of ACM Business Solutions, LLC, USA. Dr Sapna Poti, Director (Strategic Alliances) at the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, said the long-term objective is to build self-sufficient, technology-driven communities capable of generating sustainable livelihoods on their own.

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